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Hon. James Keith, President Jiuliie of the Supreme Court of 
Appeals of Virginia, had prepared tlie following address for de- 
livery at Mt. Vernon on Wednesday, Octoher 31, 1914, but was 
prevented by illness from attendance. 



JUDGE KEITH'S ADDEESS. 

I am charged with the pleasing duty of welcoming you to 
Virginia, to her Holy of Holies, to j\Iount Vernon, where " Wash- 
ington hath left his awful memory a light for aftertimes.'' We 
seem to be in, and to feel, his presence. The calm, the repose, the 
dignity of this hallowed spot are in perfect tune and harmony 
with his character. If History be Philosophy teaching by ex- 
ample, to what fountain of inspiration shall we go to learn pure 
and exalted lessons of all that elevates and ennobles man, of all 
that tends to make him a good and virtuous citizen; where, if 
not to the tomb of him who was acclaimed by a nation's voice, 
"first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his 
countrymen." 

To lawyers, above all men, the memory and example of Wash- 
ington should be dear. The ruling principle of his character was 
love of law and order; throughout life, from youth to age, in all 
things small and great, it was the dominant force that shaped and 
controlled his life. Who among men has done so much for his 
fellow-man? Wise in counsel, brave but cautious in action, with 
a fortitude unshaken by disaster, and a prudence which the smiles 
of fortune could not beguile, he won the liberties of his country 
from a people of kindred blood, renowned from the dawn of history 
in peace and war, whose " morning drum-beat, following the sun, 
and keeping company with the hours, still circles the earth with 
one unbroken strain of the martial airs of England." 

The result of the War of the Eevolution consecrated this land to 
liberty and law. What a mighty benefaction to mankind, in which 



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tlie apparent loser has gained no less than the victor! History 
taught by a great example, and Great Britain wisely conned the 
lesson; and to-day her colonies no longer chafe under her rule, 
but in time of trial India remembers that Great Britain has curbed 
famine within her borders, and Egypt how the Nile has been made 
to enlarge its bounty. 

The wisdom of Washington was never more apparent, was never 
exerted with greater advantage to his country, than in the conven- 
tion that framed the Constitution of the United States. He had 
just come through a war of seven years, in which he had won 
never-dying fame. His voice was potential in moulding the insti- 
tutions vender which the country whose independence he had 
achieved was to be governed. A character less strong, less per- 
fectly balanced than his, might well have felt some perturbation 
of mind which would have prejudiced him against English laws 
and institutions. Not so with Washington. Then, as at all times, 
liis unerring judgment tried every proposition by the light of ex- 
perience : following the injunction of the great Apostle, he 
" proved all things and held fast to that which was good " ; and in 
this time of some real and much self-proclaimed progress, it 
would be well for us, too, to recall the mandate of St. Paul, and, 
proving all things, hold fast to that which is good. 

I am always pleased to remember that when " grim-visaged War 
had smoothed his wrinkled front," and the people of these United 
States were seeking to write into their Constitution the results 
of that mighty struggle, our wisest and most learned men could 
not do better than go back seven centuries to the meadow of 
Runnymede, and ordain that henceforth "no state shall deprive 
any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, 
nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection 
of the law." What a caveat was there to all reformers ! What 
a light was thrown upon the ])athway of true progress ! 

The frontiers of Rome at the height of her power were guarded 
by " ancient renown and disciplined valor." The fields of Europe 
are being drenched and its riverg made red with the blood of 
nations that have led the world in every field of physical, intel- 
lectual and moral endeavor. Not alone their boundaries, but their 



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homos, tlieir firesides and their altars, rest upon force to defend 
them, and in all time the rule of the strongest has heen respei-ted 
and obeyed. What a contrast a kind Providence enables us to 
present ! From the Atlantic to the Pacific our northern border 
marches with that of Canada for more than three thousand miles, 
unwatched by a soldier or a fort. The United Kingdom and the 
United States ! Sprung from a common stock, speaking a 
common language, living under kindred laws and institutions, 
may they know no rivalries, save as to which shall adhere most 
faithfully to the mandates of truth and justice, and strive most 
earnestly to insure the blessings of peace on earth, to men of good 
will! 

Having won for us our liberty. Inning aided in establishing wise 
institutions tried by time and cemented by the blood of many 
generations, Washington, in his immortal farewell address, has 
taught us how these hlessings are to he preserved ; and preserved 
they will be as long as the Potomac shall murnmr a requiem to 
his memory, if we and those wlio come after us shall follow his 
example and hearken to his ]n-ece])ts. 

The soul of the Jew is kindled at the thought of Jerusalem; 
the Mohammedan at the hour of prayer falls prostrate with his 
face toward IMecca ; the heart of the patriot gains force on the plain 
of Marathon ; and the Christian finds his faith grow stronger 
among the ruins of lona; while all men, of whatever clime or 
creed, who love liberty regulated by law, give thanks to Almighty 
God for George Washington. To all such, on this day, Virginia 
extends her kindly greeting and her hearty welcome. 



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